Northern Ireland online casinos

Published May 24, 2018

The northern part of the island of Ireland makes up a part of the United Kingdom, joining with England, Scotland and Wales. So, while still being a part of the actual separate island, it still forms a portion of the UK. With this being the case, it is governed by and follows a lot of the same laws as those that govern the rest of the United Kingdom.

Northern Ireland itself was created in 1921. At this time, the island was partitioned between Northern and Southern, which would become the Irish Free State the following year. This was due to the desire of the south to break away from the UK, while Northern Ireland citizens had a majority vote to remain in the union.

Can You Gamble Online from Within Northern Ireland?

If you look at the fact that Northern Ireland makes up a part of the United Kingdom, then the short answer to the question above is, yes. Gambling on the whole is a very free and liberal market in the UK, meaning that players from the countries that form it can easily access online casinos, poker rooms, sportsbooks and more without any issues.

This goes for both local gaming platforms and those that are offshore. It’s really down to the player’s own discretion as to which they join and play at, although it’s always a good idea to make sure that the platform, wherever it is based, holds a valid gambling licence. However, it was only in recent years that the laws changed to similarly mimic those that the entirety of the UK was governed by. Prior this, there were certain features of the Northern Irish law that restricted certain minimal types of gaming in the country in comparison.

Prior to 2013, in Northern Ireland, the gambling sector was regulated by the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Order 1985. That legislation was quite old and somewhat complex in comparison to today’s laws. That’s why a review of the regulations and legislation was necessary – so as to ensure that a more modern law was brought into effect that kept pace with newer technologies and possibilities. The new legislation had three main focuses – keeping crime out of gambling, ensuring fairness within the industry and protecting the young and the vulnerable. It was with the introduction of the new laws that Northern Ireland picked up a similar attitude to Great Britain as far as becoming a much more liberal country towards gambling, both online and offline.
The Best Northern Irish Casino Sites

Online casino games available in Northern Ireland

If you are situated in Northern Ireland you will have access to all the games that are approved by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. This means you will have the best selection of slots, table games (including live dealer) and many other forms of wagering available. For more information on specific games follow these links:

Stirling (GBP) deposits and withdrawals

Being a part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland utilises the British Pound Sterling as its national currency. This does give it quite a nice position as far as online casinos are concerned. The ones that cater specifically to UK citizens always feature the British Pound Sterling as a possible currency to deposit and play in. Therefore, locating a casino with this currency available is not difficult. In order to transfer funds into an account in this currency, most online casinos will accept such via various different payment methods. These include the following options:

Gambling history, sports betting, bingo and more

The 1985 Act that Northern Ireland’s gambling sector used to be governed under is now related a lot closer to the UK Gambling Act of 2005. Therefore, it has a lot of the same features and regulation within it. The 1985 Order actually regulates the activity of betting on tracks and bookmaking offices, gaming houses, supply and maintenance of gaming machines, bingo and much more. With this in mind, you’ll find that both land-based and online casinos are possible in the country. While there isn’t a plethora of land-based establishments in Northern Ireland to visit and play games at, the fact remains that citizens of the country can still access multiple online platforms to satisfy their gaming needs at such.

The same is true of online sportsbooks, poker rooms, bingo sites and more. The UK laws basically give free and easy access to all kinds of online betting, although as mentioned earlier, it’s much better if a player utilises a licensed and legal platform to do this on. The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland licences track betting, while the courts and district councils licence gambling activities in general. Of course, the Police Service of Northern Ireland enforce the law overall.

Online Casino and Gambling Laws in Northern Ireland

There’s little difference when it comes to the online world, because this is also a legal entity in the United Kingdom. Therefore, it’s also legal and regulated in Northern Ireland. As long as an online operator holds a valid licence, then it can be considered regulated and lawful. In the same vein, the players who access such sites from within Northern Ireland can also be considered as legally gambling. It is quite important for this reason, to remember to always find an online casino that holds a genuine online gambling licence. The Gambling Commission of the United Kingdom was set up under the terms of the Gambling Act 2005, which was mentioned before. This regulatory body took over responsibilities for licensing and regulating the UK gambling industry.

With this being the case, players from Northern Ireland can legally access online casinos, poker rooms, bingo sites, sportsbooks and more quite easily. There are many platforms that direct themselves specifically at UK and Irish players, meaning that the national currency can also be deposited and played in.

Because of this, there are generally multiple different depositing methods that can be utilised at online casinos in Northern Ireland as well. This makes the gambling market of this country somewhat desirable for online operators, because of how liberal the law is. So, what’s best to remember is that as long as a casino or online gaming site has a valid and genuine licence, it can be considered as a respectable enough location to play at.

OnlineCasinoSite.com always recommends playing at a UKGC, Isle of Man or Gibraltar condoned casino, otherwise you may fall outside of a governing jurisdiction that will help you.